Thousands of passengers at one of the UK’s busiest airports after drones were seen flying over Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

Two drones at the second-busiest airport in the UK were spotted on Wednesday evening at 9pm overflying the airfield, prompting flights to be halted. The single runaway was briefly opened at 3:01am, but was forced to close again about 45 minutes later amid “a further sighting of drones”.

But Gatwick announced on Thursday that “all flights to and from Gatwick are currently suspended.

“Following reports of two drones flying over the Gatwick Airport airfield at around 9pm on Wednesday 19 December, and several further sightings since, our airfield remains closed for safety reasons,” it stated. “We are still investigating these alongside Sussex Police.”

Sussex police for their part have reportedly been reluctant to shoot down the drones due to the risks associated with a stray bullet.

“Unfortunately, this has led to a significant number of flights being diverted to other airports and all flight arrivals and departures are currently suspended from Gatwick,” said the airport.

Flights are being diverted to other airports including London Heathrow, Luton and Manchester.